Missouri...Southern or Midwestern? (Kansas City, St. Louis: dry, America, capital)

[GunnerTHB]

Originally Posted by OwenFam

A cotton crop (or any other "southern inspired" activity) does not make locale....

Ok, I'll re-post this since I can't find where I originally posted it in this thread.


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Missouri is a much more diverse state than it is often given credit for.

[OwenFam]

Originally Posted by GunnerTHB

Ok, I'll re-post this since I can't find where I originally posted it in this thread.


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Missouri is a much more diverse state than it is often given credit for.

I agree with you about Missouri's diversity. Maybe I am just reading this thread in too much of a literal way because when I look at an atlas, I see the midwest and there's MO. Maybe you are just saying that there are southern influences within certain parts of MO.

[onegoalstl]

Originally Posted by OwenFam

A cotton crop (or any other "southern inspired" activity) does not make locale....

Not to mention that Kentucky lies at the same latitude as Missouri, infact the bootheel extends more south of Kentucky, and Virginia the most northern part is the same latitude as far northern MO.

The southern 2/3rds of Missouri has the same climate as other southern states such as TN, parts of NC, KY ect.

Look at the average temps of places in southern Missouri such as Springfield, West Plains, Poplar Bluff. Similar to Nashville TN.

So I guess Little Dixie wasn't southern even though they grew tobacco, and Cotton there? and were from southern states?

There is nothing Midwestern about Caruthersville, Sikeston, Poplar Bluff, Hayti, Kennett, New Madrid, Doniphan, Malden. Those areas culturally have been southern since before the civil war. They would be taken great offense to be called yankees as well.

Also the Ozarks around US60 like West Plains, Thayer, Branson, Nesho have strong southern elements as well. To call Missouri as a whole entirely midwestern is not accurate. The census thing I don't take much stock in. Heck they classify Delaware as a southern state. Now tell me that DELAWARE is more southern than Missouri? Even Maryland presently is nowhere near as southern is MO. Even the eastern shore.

Even historically while Delaware slavery was legal, it was not very popular and most were servants unlike Missouri in the bootheel and Little dixie where they did plantation work.

Presently though yes Little Dixie area is aligned with the Midwest, but lets say 110 years ago even they had more of a southern element. Missouri really started to change around 1900. Before then there was a bigger argument MO was a southern state. Missouri still retains it's southern roots in the southeast area of the state, and in the Ozarks starting just north of US 60, and north of that is Midwestern, and Upland south mixed in. SOme areas south of KC though still have some southern elements left from the plantation days. So yes while many areas of MO are Midwestern, or mostly midwestern, Southeast Missouri, and the Ozarks lets say under 50 miles from Arkansas still have retained their roots.

[GunnerTHB]

Originally Posted by OwenFam

I agree with you about Missouri's diversity. Maybe I am just reading this thread in too much of a literal way because when I look at an atlas, I see the midwest and there's MO. Maybe you are just saying that there are southern influences within certain parts of MO.

Basically what I am saying is that (Culturally), most of Missouri is lined up with the Midwest. However, it is incorrect that there are no 100% southern parts of Missouri, the bootheel being the example of that. Also, most of the Missouri Ozarks are independent of either the Midwest or South in my opinion, they aren't quite either one. Many places are Southern influenced, and most of MO is Midwestern influenced or 100% Midwestern. The Southern 1/5th of Missouri could be considered more Southern with the Bootheel being 100% part of the South.

[GunnerTHB]

Originally Posted by onegoalstl

Not to mention that Kentucky lies at the same latitude as Missouri, infact the bootheel extends more south of Kentucky, and Virginia the most northern part is the same latitude as far northern MO.

The southern 2/3rds of Missouri has the same climate as other southern states such as TN, parts of NC, KY ect.

Look at the average temps of places in southern Missouri such as Springfield, West Plains, Poplar Bluff. Similar to Nashville TN.

So I guess Little Dixie wasn't southern even though they grew tobacco, and Cotton there? and were from southern states?

There is nothing Midwestern about Caruthersville, Sikeston, Poplar Bluff, Hayti, Kennett, New Madrid, Doniphan, Malden. Those areas culturally have been southern since before the civil war. They would be taken great offense to be called yankees as well.

Also the Ozarks around US60 like West Plains, Thayer, Branson, Nesho have strong southern elements as well. To call Missouri as a whole entirely midwestern is not accurate. The census thing I don't take much stock in. Heck they classify Delaware as a southern state. Now tell me that DELAWARE is more southern than Missouri? Even Maryland presently is nowhere near as southern is MO. Even the eastern shore.

Even historically while Delaware slavery was legal, it was not very popular and most were servants unlike Missouri in the bootheel and Little dixie where they did plantation work.

Presently though yes Little Dixie area is aligned with the Midwest, but lets say 110 years ago even they had more of a southern element. Missouri really started to change around 1900. Before then there was a bigger argument MO was a southern state. Missouri still retains it's southern roots in the southeast area of the state, and in the Ozarks starting just north of US 60, and north of that is Midwestern, and Upland south mixed in. SOme areas south of KC though still have some southern elements left from the plantation days. So yes while many areas of MO are Midwestern, or mostly midwestern, Southeast Missouri, and the Ozarks lets say under 50 miles from Arkansas still have retained their roots.

Very little of Missouri has the same climate as the upper southern states. That is another characteristic of the Bootheel and Missouri south of US 60. Most of the state is easily a continental climate while the far southern parts are subtropical, as evidenced by the Cypress swamps.

[OwenFam]

Originally Posted by onegoalstl

Not to mention that Kentucky lies at the same latitude as Missouri, infact the bootheel extends more south of Kentucky, and Virginia the most northern part is the same latitude as far northern MO.

The southern 2/3rds of Missouri has the same climate as other southern states such as TN, parts of NC, KY ect.

Look at the average temps of places in southern Missouri such as Springfield, West Plains, Poplar Bluff. Similar to Nashville TN.

So I guess Little Dixie wasn't southern even though they grew tobacco, and Cotton there? and were from southern states?

There is nothing Midwestern about Caruthersville, Sikeston, Poplar Bluff, Hayti, Kennett, New Madrid, Doniphan, Malden. Those areas culturally have been southern since before the civil war. They would be taken great offense to be called yankees as well.

Also the Ozarks around US60 like West Plains, Thayer, Branson, Nesho have strong southern elements as well. To call Missouri as a whole entirely midwestern is not accurate. The census thing I don't take much stock in. Heck they classify Delaware as a southern state. Now tell me that DELAWARE is more southern than Missouri? Even Maryland presently is nowhere near as southern is MO. Even the eastern shore.

Even historically while Delaware slavery was legal, it was not very popular and most were servants unlike Missouri in the bootheel and Little dixie where they did plantation work.

Presently though yes Little Dixie area is aligned with the Midwest, but lets say 110 years ago even they had more of a southern element. Missouri really started to change around 1900. Before then there was a bigger argument MO was a southern state. Missouri still retains it's southern roots in the southeast area of the state, and in the Ozarks starting just north of US 60, and north of that is Midwestern, and Upland south mixed in. SOme areas south of KC though still have some southern elements left from the plantation days. So yes while many areas of MO are Midwestern, or mostly midwestern, Southeast Missouri, and the Ozarks lets say under 50 miles from Arkansas still have retained their roots.

I live in the Branson/Springfield area and I, personally, consider myself to live in the midwest....as do my family and friends. I can't speak for anyone else, though.

[GunnerTHB]

Originally Posted by OwenFam

I live in the Branson/Springfield area and I, personally, consider myself to live in the midwest....as do my family and friends. I can't speak for anyone else, though.

It seems that Springfield leans more midwestern than southern. There is about an even split in my neck of the woods I would say, my family generally identifies as southern, but I can find some folks with very midwestern traits not far from here. Another reason why I love where I live

[OwenFam]

I can say that my friend that lives in New York says that I sound like a "southern belle", but no one else has ever said that I have an accent. Funny thing is, I think he has an accent. He says "mum" (with a nasal tone) instead of mom and "qwuata" for quarter....among other things.

I do think it's interesting that certain parts of one state can be so different from another within the same state.

[onegoalstl]

Originally Posted by GunnerTHB

Very little of Missouri has the same climate as the upper southern states. That is another characteristic of the Bootheel and Missouri south of US 60. Most of the state is easily a continental climate while the far southern parts are subtropical, as evidenced by the Cypress swamps.

Have you looked at the latest 1981-2010 climate stats? Places like Neosho, Joplin are similar to Nashville climate wise, as well as West Plains too and Poplar Bluff as well also warmer than Louisville KY as well, but Louisville is more further north than a lot of the ozarks, SE MO.

SW MO I mean towards the OK border like Joplin, Neosho and points south are pretty darn warm.

However Eastern TN, and points in NC are colder than most of southern half of Missouri. Im talking way up in the mountains places in the summer have averages only in the low to mid 80s.

The central and norther parts of West Virginia have cold winters.

Checkout the averages for Doniphan. Coldest average high in Jan is only 45! By the first of feb average high is approaching 50 degrees.

National Weather Service Climate

Also checkout places like Diamond, and joplin MO. Pretty warm winters and West Plains as well.

i wish I could live in the far SW corner of MO or the bootheel because the weather you can tolerate better. While yes they do get ice storms, heavy snowstorm it melts fast, and you still get a good deal of warm winter days in those places.

National Weather Service Climate

[GunnerTHB]

Originally Posted by onegoalstl

Have you looked at the latest 1981-2010 climate stats? Places like Neosho, Joplin are similar to Nashville climate wise, as well as West Plains too and Poplar Bluff as well also warmer than Louisville KY as well, but Louisville is more further north than a lot of the ozarks, SE MO.

SW MO I mean towards the OK border like Joplin, Neosho and points south are pretty darn warm.

However Eastern TN, and points in NC are colder than most of southern half of Missouri. Im talking way up in the mountains places in the summer have averages only in the low to mid 80s.

The central and norther parts of West Virginia have cold winters.

Checkout the averages for Doniphan. Coldest average high in Jan is only 45! By the first of feb average high is approaching 50 degrees.

National Weather Service Climate

Also checkout places like Diamond, and joplin MO. Pretty warm winters and West Plains as well.

i wish I could live in the far SW corner of MO or the bootheel because the weather you can tolerate better. While yes they do get ice storms, heavy snowstorm it melts fast, and you still get a good deal of warm winter days in those places.

National Weather Service Climate

Once again, most of Missouri doesn't have the same climate as the southern 1/5th of the State. And the ice storms here are rough, don't kid yourself. The last two shut everything down for a week and while they are rare, they do happen.